Railway draft-rigging



A. CAMPBELL v R A|LWAY DRAFT meme;

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24'. 1920.

Patented Nov, 29, 1921,

Ira/Mr MN 1 A ing had to the such I cars of the hook and link type of coupling ARGYLE CAMPBELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLIN EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

-rNT

01s, ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY ILLINOIS, A coaroaarron or ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specification 0 Application filed May 24,

To all whom it may concern: V I

Be it known that I, ARGYLE CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in, Railway Draft-Riggings, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference be accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railway draftriggings. V r

As is well known, the standard practice at the present time in the operation of European railway rolling stock, is to employ a hook and link connection between cars to effect the draft and, separate bumpers to efiect the cushioning action under bufi.

During the recent war, many cars ofAmeri- ,F can manufacture employing the standardized automatic coupler were used in behalf of the American ExpeditionaryrForces with the result that the present European stand-v ard practice is slowly being changed to conform tothatof th American practice. As will be evident, .this change will require many years before completion and during period of change, there will be many and cars of the American type employing theautomatic couplers. It is alsoevident that some means must be provided to permit the-use of cars equipped accordance with the American type with automatic couplers with both cars slmilarly equipped and cars equipped in accordance with European fashion in order that such American equipped cars may be kept 1n continuous service.

The object of my invention is to provide 1 adraft rigging havinga coupler s0 equipped that it is freely interchangeably usable with cars having automatic couplers of the American type or cars of the European type j 45 employing hook, and link couplings. '7

Another object of the invention is toprovide a draft rigging of relatively inexpen:

sive application wherein provision is made 'for automatic coupling with other cars in accordance with the American practice-and .wherein the coupler shank is arrangedto fLetters Patent. Patented N 0v. 29, 1921.

1920. Serial no. 383,651.

directly in both buff and draft so that the improved rlgglng may be equipped complete for. cars for foreign use. V I r In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a .railway car equipped with my improvements. Inthis figure, I have shown the end portion of an cordance with the present European practice to more clearly illustrate the interchangeable use of my improvements with cars of such type as well as with cars equipped with automatic couplers of the American type. Fig. 2. is, a longitudinal rice...-

adjacent car equipped in acactuate shock absorbing mechanism vertical sectional view corresponding sub- ,stantially to the line 2+2 of Fig. 1. And

ig. 3is an enlarged verticaltransverse sectional-view corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Fig. 1'. I

e In said drawings, 'l0.lO denote: channel- I shaped center or the same being spaced apart any desireddistance to accommodate the particular type of shock absorbing means used- .nection, fit is to be understood no standardspacing at present provided .for in-European practice and hence the usuallimitations imposed by sthe Master Car Builders regulations. in the need not be adhered to. improved coupler is designated broadly by thereference A, the same extending outwardly beyondthe end sill ll of the car in accordance with standardized American practice. I toradapti'a car "equipped with my improvements for use with foreign cars wherein the bufiing shocks are absorbed bytrue buffers, the'car will preferably beprovided with two draft sills of a railway-car,

In order.

In this 'con- 1 i that' there is vbuffers indicated conventionally at 1-2 l2,:

fers will project outwardly less than the distance to the, end of the guard arm of the coupler and to such an extent thatthey will one. at each side of the coupler. These bufcooperate with buffers 13-13 of the type nowcommonly employed in European practice without danger of the hook 14 of such foreign cars striking against any part of my improved coupler.

In carrying outmy invention, the coupler,

sills,

A is provided with a coupler head conforming to standard practice, said head being provided with a guard arm 15, knuckle 16, knuckle pin 17, locking pin 18, and locking mechanism within the head, the details of which it is not deemed necessary to describe. The formation of the guard arm, knuckle and aw will conform to the standards prescribed by the Master Car Builders Association. The coupler head will also preferably be provided with a horn 19 cooperable with a buffing block 20 upon extreme inward movement of the coupler.

The shank 21. of the coupler is recessed so as to accommodate two transversely extending spring followers 22-22 and two corresponding keys 2323. The keys are extended through slots 2l24 in the draft the front key being movable rearwardly from normal position and the rear key movable forwardly from normal position. The shank of the coupler will preferably have a centrally extending vertical web 25 to act as a spacer for two twin arranged horizontally extending springs 26-26 and to maintain the springs in proper position, the coupler shank will have top, oppositely extended flanges 27-27 extending over the springs and curved downwardly at their outer ends as indicated at 28-28, so as to form, in effect, two receiving pockets. Overcompression of the springs is prevented and the keys are limited in their travel by leaving. portions 29 29 of the sill webs in place as indicated in Fig. 1 and preferably the sills will be reinforced by plates 30 and 31 applied to the outer sides thereof as indicated in Fig. 1. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, each spring follower 22 is provided with upper and lower horizontally extending flanges 32-32 straddling the corresponding key so as to hold the followers in proper position and in line with the centers of the springs 26.

In some cases it may be desirable to augment the capacity of the shock absorbing mechanism just described and to accomplish this I provide a simple and relatively inexpensive arrangement comprising a yoke extension 33 secured coupler shank, a pair of followers 34-3 1, twin arranged rear set of springs 35-35 and ordinary front and rear stop lugs 36 and 37 The rear end of the coupler shank and the springs 26 are arranged to be supported by a detachable wide saddle plate 38 preferably bolted to the lower flanges of the sills and the yoke 33, followers 34 and springs 35 may be similarly supported by a detachable saddle plate 39.

use in conjunction with cars similarly to the rear end of the The keys 23 are held against accidental removal by any equipped or any car having a standardized automatic coupler. To permit the use of my improvements with cars equipped in ac-- cordance with the present foreign standard where hook and links are employed, 1 use the following construction: The knuckle pin 17 is of special construction and preferably is inserted from the bottom side of the coupler head and held against falling out by a nut 41 applied to the top of the pin. At its lower end, the knuckle pin is provided with an integral relatively heavy strong eye 42 to which one end of a chain 13 is adapted to be attached, said chain 453 having a hook 44 at its free end. As will be understood, said chain 43 and hook 4A will conform to the usual type of hook and chain indicated at 4L5 as now used in the standard European practice so that a draft connection may be made with a pair of chains and hooks asis now made where two cars of European standards are connected. To minimize bending and'shearing strains on the coupler pin 17 when subject to tension from the chain 43, the coupler head is made with a slight modification, as compared with present American standards, by forming a heavy arcuate flange 46 at the lower end thereof wih a corresponding annular flange 47 on the knuckle pin immediately above the eye 4L2. The flange or shoulder 16 obviously prowhich is adapted to cooperate vides an abutment for the knuckle pin while at the same time permitting the latter to turn as needed. 1

It is thought that the use of my improvements will be fully understood from the preceding description considered in connection with a more detailed description of the shock absorbing means. V

I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway draft rigging interchangeably usable with automatic couplers of'the Master Car Builders type and hook and the drawings without entering into link couplings, the combination witha coupler having an head, includin a pin for the knuckle; of a hook and -l1nk chain attached 'to' said knuckle pin, whereby the coupler may be connected by said chain and hook with a car unprovided 2. As an article of manufacture, a coupler interchangeably usable with automatic M. C. B. couplers and couplings of the hook and link type, said coupler having a coupler head including a jaw, knuckle, locking mechanism of M. C. B. type and a knuckle M. C. B. automatic coupler with an automatic coupler.

pin, said pin having an eye at one end there- In Witness that I claim the foregoing I of, a chain and hook attached to said eye, have hereunto subscribed my name this 4th the coupler head having a shoulder cooperday of May, 1920.

able with the knuckle pin adjacent the eye ARGYLE CAMPBELL. thereof, said shoulder forming an abutment Witnesses: for the knuckle pin when under pull from IRENE DRAKE,

the chain and hook. WALTER GUNNIsON. 

